Can I Use a Magic Eraser on My Walk-In Tub Acrylic?

No. A Magic Eraser, or any melamine sponge, is an abrasive, and abrasives are the one thing that permanently scratches and dulls the glossy acrylic on an Ella walk-in tub. Ella's cleaning guidance names Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads alongside scouring pads and scouring powders as products to keep off the shell, and scouring damage is excluded from the finish warranty. Routine cleaning needs nothing stronger than mild dish soap or a 1 to 1 mix of white vinegar and water on a soft cloth, as covered in What Can I Safely Clean My Walk-In Tub With?.

Why a Melamine Sponge Is the Wrong Tool for Acrylic

A Magic Eraser feels soft in the hand, which is why it gets reached for on a bathtub. Ella's cleaning instructions group melamine sponges with abrasive cleaners, scouring powders and gritty pads, and the effect on acrylic is the same for all of them: they permanently scratch and dull the surface. The damage is not always obvious on the first pass. What you usually notice later is a patch that has lost its gloss, or a haze that no amount of rinsing brings back, because the surface itself has been abraded rather than cleaned.

The acrylic on an Ella tub is one solid piece of material through the whole shell, so it keeps its glossy white finish for many years as long as abrasive products, bleach and harsh chemical corrosives never touch it. That same construction is the reason a dulled area can often be brought back, which is covered below. Bringing a finish back is work you can avoid entirely by never using the sponge in the first place. The finish warranty makes the point in its own way: damage from scouring is listed as an exclusion, so a scratched patch from a melamine sponge is not something the warranty repairs.

What to Use Instead, Job by Job

Every cleaning job a Magic Eraser gets used for has a non-abrasive answer on Ella's approved list or in its surface-care guidance.

The pattern is that the cleaner does the work while the cloth stays soft. Moving up from dish soap to a scum remover or denatured alcohol changes the chemistry, not the abrasion, which is the opposite of what a melamine sponge does. The full approved list, including the Simple Green, Tilex, Pine-Sol and Clorox Fraganzia products, is in Which cleaners are safe for my walk-in tub, and which chemicals should I avoid?. Note that the two products in the hinge row, CLR and stainless steel polish, are abrasive enough to damage the finish if they run or splash onto the shell, so they belong on the metal only.

If You Have Already Used One

Stop using it and look at the area in good light. If the spot is a light scratch or has simply lost its shine, it can often be restored to its original luster by polishing with a fine grade, automotive type cleaning and polishing compound, working in small circles with a soft cloth and then rinsing and drying. Acrylic polishes in much the same way as car paint, which is why the technique works. In the video on this page an Ella dealer explains the difference between acrylic and fiberglass gel coat and makes the same point: acrylic is one solid piece of material, and if it ever gets dull it can be buffed right out, whereas gel coat chips and cracks and needs repair.

Ella's Bubbles does not sell a standalone touch-up kit, so the polishing compound is the home remedy for surface-level marks. If a cleaner or sponge has left a dull patch, haze or discoloration that polishing does not lift, contact your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a request at ellasbubbles.com/support, and include your model, a photo of the affected area and the name of the product used. The difference between a home-care blemish and something the team needs to see is walked through in Scratches, Scuffs, or Discoloration on the Acrylic: Surface Care and Touch-Up Kits.

Other Things That Belong Nowhere Near the Acrylic

• Bleach. It can damage acrylic over time and is not part of Ella's cleaning instructions.
• Scouring powders, gritty pads and abrasive cleaners of any brand, for the same reason as the melamine sponge.
• Muriatic acid, anywhere near the tub. If tile above the tub needs acid cleaning, protect the tub fully and keep the product and its fumes away from the acrylic and chrome.
• Outdoor or masonry cleaners and other products not on the approved list, even when they are what is on hand.
• Stainless steel polish and CLR on the shell. Use them on the hinge only and wipe up any that reaches the acrylic.

If your home is on well water, mineral build-up gets a foothold faster, and the answer is to clean a little more often with the same gentle cleaners rather than to switch to something harsher. Glass screens, doors and chrome are cleaned with soap and water after use, and metal is wiped dry after any salt soak. The everyday products that are safe on acrylic, chrome and stainless steel at the same time are listed in Which Cleaners Are Safe on Your Walk-In Tub and Where to Find the Pump Inlet Cover. None of this surface cleaning replaces the monthly vinegar flush for the jet lines: 2 cups of white vinegar with 2 cups of water, tub filled to 1 inch above the highest jets, run for 10 minutes, then drained.

Watch: Acrylic Over Fiberglass: The Better Walk-In Tub Choice | Voted Safest/Best 2020 | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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